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Chief of Staff (Permitting & Compliance)

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Chief of Staff (Permitting & Compliance)

Salary

$120,000.00 - $165,000.00 Annually

Location

Baton Rouge, LA

Job Type

Unclassified

Job Number

DCE-OPC-2025-215574-MMR

Department

DCE-Department of Conservation and Energy

Division

Office of Permitting and Compliance

Opening Date

12/09/2025

Closing Date

Continuous

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

About this Job

Background

The Office of Permitting and Compliance (OPC) is responsible for leading all permitting and regulatory functions within the Department, ensuring clarity, consistency, and regulatory integrity across all activities. The Office was established to consolidate and modernize Louisiana’s permitting framework into a centralized, technically rigorous, and transparent system that ensures compliance with state and federal law while supporting responsible economic development.

OPC integrates engineering, geology, ecology, design, and compliance functions into a unified workflow. Its structure encompasses integrity and production audits, UIC and storage regulation, groundwater protection, coastal permitting and mitigation, and reservoir and legacy site management. By aligning these technical functions, OPC improves efficiency, eliminates duplication, enhances science-based decision-making, and accelerates permitting timelines while maintaining environmental stewardship.

OPC is composed of five operating divisions—Compliance, Ecology, Engineering, Geology, and Permitting—staffed by engineers, geologists, environmental specialists, and regulatory professionals who manage activities central to Louisiana’s ecological and economic sustainability.

Scope and Purpose

The mission of OPC is to ensure that permitting and compliance functions are executed with clarity, consistency, and integrity, supporting the State’s obligation to protect natural resources and promote responsible economic activity. The Office oversees science-based permit approvals, wetland mitigation, regulatory oversight, and environmentally sound operational practices, ensuring that applicants experience a clear and efficient permitting pathway.

The Executive Director, as the Office’s chief executive, is responsible for ensuring that OPC fulfills the Department’s statutory mandates under R.S. 30:2 and R.S. 30:3, including preventing waste, conserving natural resources, and safeguarding both underground and surface environments. OPC’s regulatory responsibilities extend to drilling activities, well amendments, work orders, field orders, unitization, and intrastate pipeline infrastructure not regulated by FERC.

Through its centralized structure, OPC delivers data-driven, science-based regulatory outcomes that align economic development with environmental stewardship.

Position Summary

The Chief of Staff serves as a key advisor and strategic partner to the Executive Director of OPC, supporting the operational, administrative, and strategic functions of the Office. This role is responsible for coordinating cross-divisional initiatives; aligning goals, priorities, and workflows across programs; and facilitating efficient communication and decision-making at all levels of the organization.

The Chief of Staff oversees planning and execution of major projects, serves as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders, and ensures effective management of daily operations as delegated by the Executive Director. The position requires a strong understanding of technical, legal, and regulatory considerations related to environmental permitting and compliance, including the Department’s statutory obligations and the Office’s broad regulatory scope.

Success in this role requires strong strategic planning capabilities, high-level communication skills, effective personnel and time management, sound judgment, and the ability to synthesize legal, technical, and financial information into clear and actionable recommendations. The Chief of Staff ensures the Office’s work remains aligned with its mission of scientifically sound regulation, environmental stewardship, and efficient, transparent permitting processes.

Minimum Qualifications

+ Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business, Engineering, Geoscience, Communications, or Political Science.

+ At least three (3) years’ experience in energy-related development, consulting, policy, or technical analysis; experience should include corporate or public organization management, operations, or strategy.

Job Duties and Other Information

The Chief of Staff’s primary responsibility will be to serve as an extension of the Executive Director in the execution of their duties. This role requires regular communication with the Executive Director and an active understanding of Office initiatives, operations, action items, and other developments. Responsibilities may include the following, as the Executive Director deems appropriate:

+ Communicate Office initiatives, policies, and developmentsto internal staff, executive leadership, the Board, legislators, industry groups, and partner agencies.

+ Represent the Executive Directorin meetings, calls, speaking engagements, and public events, effectively conveying information and reporting back key details.

+ Maintain visibility across all OSTR functionsto identify emerging operational needs, risks, and opportunities.

+ Manage Executive Director workflows, including priority setting, briefing preparation, sequencing of tasks, and decision timelines.

+ Support the Executive Directorin developing priorities and executing tasks efficiently and on schedule.

+ Provide administrative oversightby participating in staffing plans, recruitment, onboarding, performance reviews, and employee development efforts.

+ Coordinate routine administrative and operational matters, such as procurement, travel, contract correspondence, and scheduling, when delegated.

+ Monitor and evaluate Office operationsthrough performance metrics to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.

+ Support policymaking and advocacy effortsby maintaining knowledge of statutory and regulatory authorities and recommending updates to improve operations.

+ Perform additional duties as assigned, including legislative representation, testimony before regulatory bodies, interagency coordination, and emergency response activities.

Position-Specific Details

Appointment Type:Unclassified

Work Schedule:Work hours are flexible.

Compensation: $120,000 - $165,000 annually

The final salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

For further information about this vacancy contact:

Email:[email protected]

Human Resources Division

Department of Conservation and Energy

PO Box 94396

Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9396

Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.

Benefits

Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:

Insurance Coverage More information can be found at https://info.groupbenefits.org/

Parental Leave– Up to six weeks paid parental leave

More information can be found at https://www.civilservice.louisiana.gov/Parental-Leave/Default.aspx

Holidays and Leave– State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:

+ New Year's Day

+ Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,

+ Mardi Gras,

+ Good Friday,

+ Memorial Day,

+ Independence Day,

+ Labor Day,

+ Veteran's Day,

+ Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

***** Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement – State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works). These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries. State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to):

+ Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video (https://lasersonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Your\_Retirement\_System.mp4) to give you more detailed information about their system

+ Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org),

+ Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others

Benefits for unclassified employees are determined by the individual hiring authority.

01

Do you possess a bachelor's degree or higher in Business, Engineering, Geoscience, Communications, or Political Science?

+ Yes

+ No

02

Do you possess at least three (3) years of experience in energy-related development, consulting, policy, or technical analysis?

+ Yes

+ No

03

If you answered YES to the previous question, please describe your relevant experience and reference the experience included in your application (not resume). If you answered NO to the previous question, enter "N/A".

04

Do you have experience in corporate or public organization management, operations, and/or strategy?

+ Yes

+ No

05

If you answered YES to the previous question, please describe your relevant experience and reference the experience included in your application (not resume). If you answered NO to the previous question, enter "N/A".

Required Question

Employer

State of Louisiana

Address

For agency contact information, please refer to

the supplemental information above.

Louisiana State Civil Service, Louisiana, 70802

Phone

(866) 783-5462

Website

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/louisiana/default.cfm

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